Baby Calm™ A guide for calmer babies and happier parents – Competition Giveaway

THIS COMPETITION GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED.

We are now only 6 days away from celebrating another Christmas with family and/or friends and it always seems to amaze me that yet another year has passed so very quickly.

So much has happened to us as a family unit over the past year or so. For one thing we lost my mother last September to lung cancer and family celebrations seem to be the times when that loss is felt most significantly. Mothers are pretty special aren’t they? And one thing my Mum always said to me when I myself became one was “Always trust your instincts Charlie and you’ll never go far wrong.” And you know something, she was, and still is, right.

Like a lot of new Mums, even I, who envisaged herself taking to motherhood like a duck to water, struggled with what the reality entailed. And I, like so many before me and so many to follow, looked at times, to others for some guidance. Often that guidance was in the form of a book. Having chosen to read many books, which I have to say have changed a lot over the years, my advice for any new Mum would be to choose wisely.

I wouldn’t read Gina Ford if you paid me ! I know her books have worked for some but her advice goes against every fibre of my being, so apologies if you have found her words of comfort and have found that her advice has worked for you. For one thing she hasn’t had children herself, like Jo Frost, Super Nanny. Before I had my own children I would happily watch Super Nanny on the television and had my own opinions on how I thought other people could parent their kids, until that is, I had my own. It’s very easy to sit back and judge others when you haven’t walked in their shoes. There’s a Native American saying, “Before judging another, walk two moons in his moccasins.” Oh how true those words are.

One of the books I chose to read was “The Baby Whisperer” by Tracy Hogg. There were parts of her book I related to; like introducing your baby to each room in the house so they knew where they would be living, telling them what you were doing at all times so they knew what was going on e.g when you changed their nappy. In essence this was about respecting your baby. Making a connection with your baby was encouraged.

However, there were also those other areas where you were encouraged to somehow make your new addition fit into your world in a way that is, if we are honest just not logical or do-able in the early weeks, months, even years of our little one’s lives. The “pick up, put down” method springs to mind here, which is basically a form of controlled crying. I tried it with my first when I was on my knees with sleep deprivation and was mortified when my beautiful baby girl looked up at me after an hour of trying to implement this technique, with a “what are you doing to me Mummy” look, which made me feel like I’d just had my heart ripped out of my body, and yet in my desperation for sleep with my second, I tried the technique again, but only the once! What was I thinking? My instincts told me to pick my baby up and soothe her until she settled despite my being so very tired. But the book said this wasn’t a good idea. So who do you believe? 

Now I know you need to learn to trust your own instincts. And if you choose to read a book, try to find one that promotes confidence and encourages this instinct too. That's where the book, BabyCalm, comes into its own. I so wish this had been available when I was pregnant with Sophia.

I’m really chuffed to have come across Sarah Ockwell-Smith who is the founder of both BabyCalm™ and ToddlerCalm™. Their philosophy is about empowering new parents to raise their babies with confidence. They run BabyCalm™ and ToddlerCalm™ classes across the country and very recently Sarah brought out her first book, “BabyCalm™, A guide for calmer babies & happier parents” and we have kindly been given a copy of this book for our last competition giveaway.

I am part way through reading this book and will be reviewing it properly in another blog post very soon. I was hoping to link the two together here but moving house unexpectedly has meant that this hasn’t been possible. But this book deserves a proper review. From what I’ve read so far and from all the reviews I've seen (click here to read them on Amazon), I'm very pleased indeed to be offering this book as our final competition giveaway. If you are or know of a mum-to-be, then you need to enter this competition to win this great book.

The back of the book reads as follows:

“If you want to find ways to cope with tiring days and difficult nights without putting your baby on a strict routine, or resorting to sleep training, this new, gentle guide is for you.

Full of advice, support, tips and the experiences of other new parents, this book shares the methods of the popular BabyCalm™ classes and workshops and will enable you to enjoy your baby – and trust your own parenting instincts – from the start."

Contents include:

• Deciphering your baby’s cues
• A toolbox of calming techniques
• The benefits of babywearing
• Understanding normal baby sleep patterns
• Gentle ways to encourage your baby’s sleep
• The importance of attachment
• Recovering from birth
• The transition to motherhood
• Why you should trust your maternal instincts

So, to be in with a chance of winning this BabyCalm™ book, click on the Rafflecopter link below and follow the instructions. 

You will need to answer one question AND leave a blog post comment below (or on our Facebook page if you have problems on the blog) as to why you would like to win this great book. In addition, you can like our FB page www.facebook.com/SophiasChoiceUK, follow us on Twitter @SophiasChoiceUK and tweet about this final giveaway.

For more information on BabyCalm™ you can visit their website www.babycalm.co.uk or you can follow them on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BabyCalm and Twitter @BabyCalmclasses.

If I don’t see you here again before 2013 begins, then may I wish you all a wonderful Christmas with those you love and treasure in your life. I have lots more to blog about in the New Year and hope to see you here again soon. 

Merry Christmas and a Very Happy, Healthy and Peaceful 2013.

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This competition giveaway is open to residents worldwide and will run until 4th January 2013. The winner will be announced within 48 hours of the competition end time. The book will be posted out to the winner in the New Year.

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Congratulations to Helen Barrance who is our winner ! I hope you will enjoy reading this great book.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Disclaimer: I was given a copy of Baby Calm to read, keep and use for this post. All thoughts, feelings and opinions given are my own and no one elses. I always give my honest feedback.